Employees consider the wage increase “insufficient,” amid demands for the return of sectoral dialogue

Agadir 24 | Agadir24

Public sector employees interacted with the new agreement between the government and the most representative unions, the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, which stipulates the approval of a general increase in their wages in a net monthly amount of 1,000 dirhams in two installments.

This increase divided the opinions of employees, between those who considered it a gain extracted from the government following marathon negotiations, and those who found the amount of 1,000 dirhams insufficient, and not commensurate with the size of the massive increases that affected various services and basic materials, in light of the wave of high prices and inflation that the Kingdom is witnessing.

In this context, the Trade Union Federation of Employees, which is affiliated with the Moroccan Labor Union, revealed that it “did not receive the aforementioned increase with joy or sadness,” but rather considered it “a partial and qualitative gain that was extracted at a time when everything was difficult for public sector workers.”

The union stated, through its national office member Mohamed Boutayeb, that “the union’s demands were higher than 1,000 dirhams, by generalizing the increases seen in other sectors,” but “the increase remains a very important, qualitative and unprecedented gain, in addition to the gains achieved by public sector workers.” As a result of its struggle in many sectors.”

According to the same speaker, “the increase does not live up to the level of employees’ aspirations (…) in light of the difficult circumstances that public workers are experiencing,” highlighting that “the agreement between the government and the unions will be meaningful if frozen sectoral dialogues are opened in order to meet the demands of the rest of the components of the public sector.” “.

For his part, Hassan Belboudali, President of the National Association of Territorial Communities Employees, revealed that “a 1,000 dirham increase in wages is inappropriate in light of the current living conditions.”

Belboudali explained that “the demands amounted to 3,000 dirhams, a number that might maintain, even relatively, the deteriorating conditions of the working people,” stressing that “we reject the planned increase, and it cannot be accepted because of its apparent meagerness.”

The same actor pointed out that “the basic and initial demand is the return of sectoral dialogue with the minister responsible for the sector, who has rejected this until the present moment.”

It should be noted that the Moroccan government announced an agreement with the most representative trade union centrals, the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, regarding the approval of a general increase in the wages of employees of public administrations, territorial communities and public institutions who have not yet benefited from a review of their wages, in a net monthly amount of 1,000 dirhams. It is paid in two installments.

According to the minutes of the agreement signed yesterday, Monday, April 29, regarding the April round of social dialogue, in implementation of the obligations of the April 30, 2022 agreement, this increase for the public sector will be divided into two equal installments, the first starting on July 1, 2024, and the second starting on July 1, 2025.